Recommending substitute applications

• US 10,241,772 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2016
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ning, Huazhong, Chen, Haichun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei Y
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Binh K
• Application Number:
  US15/204,740
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking

Abstract

A method is described that includes comprising receiving, by a first computing device and from a second computing device, an indication of user interaction with a first application. The method also includes determining, by the first computing device and based on the user interaction with the first application, a user engagement score associated with the first application, the user engagement score indicating at least one of how frequently or how long the user uses the first application. The method also includes responsive to determining that the user engagement score does not satisfy a threshold user engagement score, determining, by the first computing device and from a set of applications that are alternatives to the first application, a second application to substitute for the first application. The method further includes sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, for display, an indication of the second application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first computing device and from a second computing device, an indication of a duration of user interaction with a first application cumulated over a particular amount of time and an indication of a duration of user interaction with a second application cumulated over the particular amount of time;

assigning, by the first computing device, based on the duration of user interaction with the first application and a type of the first application, a user engagement score associated with the first application;

assigning, by the first computing device, based on the duration of user interaction with the second application and a type of the second application, a user engagement score associated with the second application, wherein;

the duration of user interaction with the first application is approximately equal to the duration of user interaction with the second application,

the type of the first application is different than the type of the second application, and

the user engagement score associated with the first application is different than the user engagement score associated with the second application;

determining, by the first computing device, whether the user engagement score associated with the first application satisfies a threshold user engagement score;

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the first application does not satisfy the threshold user engagement score;

determining, by the first computing device, at least one alternative application that users of a group of other computing devices use more than the first application, wherein the at least one alternative application is;

one of a group of alternative applications for the first application; and

determined based at least in part on a comparison between aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to aggregated user interactions with the at least one alternative application from the group of alternative applications; and

selecting, by the first computing device and from the at least one alternative application, a third application to substitute for the first application;

receiving, by the first computing device and from the second computing device, an indication of user input to uninstall the first application;

sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, for installation, the third application; and

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the second application satisfies the threshold user engagement score, refraining from recommending replacement applications for the second application.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, for display as part of an application repository graphical user interface, an indication of the third application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first computing device and to the second computing device, for display as a notification, an indication of the third application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the at least one alternative application that users of the group of other computing devices use more than the first application comprises:

determining, by the first computing device and based on the comparison of the aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to the aggregated user interactions with the one or more respective alternative applications in the group of alternative applications, a respective group engagement score associated with each application in the group of alternative applications, wherein the aggregate user interactions are associated with a group of other computing devices,

wherein selecting the third application comprises assigning, based on the respective group engagement score, a highest ranked application of the at least one alternative application as the third application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the first computing device, the group of alternative applications by at least:

determining, by the first computing device, keywords used to describe the first application in an application repository and keywords that are used to describe the third application in the application repository;

determining, by the first computing device, a number of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application; and

determining, by the first computing device, the third application is included in the group of alternative applications in response to determining the quantity of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application is greater than a threshold quantity of keywords.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the keywords used to describe the first application and the keywords used to describe the third application are respectively located in a description of the first application and a description of the third application.

7. A first computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to;

receive, from a second computing device, an indication of a duration of user interaction with a first application cumulated over a particular amount of time and an indication of a duration of user interaction with a second application cumulated over the particular amount of time;

assign, based on the duration of user interaction with the first application and a type of the first application, a user engagement score associated with the first application;

assign, based on the duration of user interaction with the second application and a type of the second application, a user engagement score associated with the second application, wherein;

the duration of user interaction with the first application is approximately equal to the duration of user interaction with the second application,

the type of the first application is different than the type of the second application, and

the user engagement score associated with the first application is different than the user engagement score associated with the second application;

determine whether the user engagement score associated with the first application satisfies a threshold user engagement score;

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the first application does not satisfy the threshold user engagement score;

determine at least one alternative application that users of a group of other computing devices use more than the first application, wherein the at least one alternative application is;

one of a group of alternative applications for the first application; and

determined based at least in part on a comparison between aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to aggregated user interactions with the at least one alternative application from the group of alternative applications; and

select, from the at least one alternative application, a third application to substitute for the first application; and

receive, from the second computing device, an indication of user input to uninstall the first application;

send, to the second computing device, for installation, the third application; and

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the second application satisfies the threshold user engagement score, refrain from recommending replacement applications for the second application.

8. The first computing device of claim 7, wherein the memory comprises additional instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to send an indication of the third application to the second computing device for display as part of an application repository graphical user interface.

9. The first computing device of claim 7, wherein the memory comprises additional instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to send an indication of the third application to the second computing device for display as a notification.

10. The first computing device of claim 7, wherein the memory comprises additional instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine the at least one alternative application that users of a group of remote computing devices use more than the first application by at least causing the at least one processor to:

determine, based on the comparison of the aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to the aggregated user interactions with the one or more respective alternative applications in the group of alternative applications, a respective group engagement score associated with each application in the group of alternative applications, wherein the aggregate user interactions are associated with a group of remote computing devices; and

assign, based on the respective group engagement score, a highest ranked application of the at least one alternative application as the third application.

11. The first computing device of claim 7, wherein the memory comprises additional instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine the group of alternative applications by at least causing the at least one processor to:

determine keywords used to describe the first application in an application repository and keywords that are used to describe the third application in the application repository;

determine a quantity of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application; and

determine the third application is included in the group of alternative applications in response to determining the quantity of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application is greater than a threshold quantity of keywords.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the at least one processor to:

receive an indication of a duration of user interaction with a first application cumulated over a particular amount of time and an indication of a duration of user interaction with a second application cumulated over the particular amount of time, wherein the first application and the second application are installed at a memory of the computing device;

assign, based on the duration of user interaction with the first application and a type of the first application, a user engagement score associated with the first application;

assign, based on the duration of user interaction with the second application and a type of the second application, a user engagement score associated with the second application, wherein;

the duration of user interaction with the first application is approximately equal to the duration of user interaction with the second application,

the type of the first application is different than the type of the second application, and

the user engagement score associated with the first application is different than the user engagement score associated with the second application;

determine whether the user engagement score associated the first application satisfies a threshold user engagement score;

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the first application does not satisfy the threshold user engagement score;

determine at least one alternative application that users of a group of other computing devices use more than the first application, wherein the at least one alternative application is;

one of a group of alternative applications for the first application; and

determined based at least in part on a comparison between aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to aggregated user interactions with the at least one alternative application from the group of alternative applications; and

select, from the at least one alternative application, a third application to substitute for the first application; and

uninstall the first application;

install the third application; and

responsive to determining that the user engagement score associated with the second application satisfies the threshold user engagement score, refrain from recommending replacement applications for the second application.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions cause the at least one processor to determine the at least one alternative application that users of a group of remote computing devices use more than the first application by at least causing the at least one processor to:

determine, based on the comparison of the aggregated user interactions with the first application relative to the aggregated user interactions with the one or more respective alternative applications in the group of alternative applications, a respective group engagement score associated with each application in the group of alternative applications, wherein the aggregate user interactions are associated with a group of other computing devices; and

assign, based on the respective group engagement score, a highest ranked application in the group of alternative applications as the third application.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions cause the at least one processor to send an indication of the third application to a second computing device for display as part of an application repository graphical user interface.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein execution of the instructions cause the at least one processor to determine the group of alternative applications by at least causing the at least one processor to:

determine keywords used to describe the first application in an application repository and keywords that are used to describe the third application in the application repository;

determine a quantity of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application; and

determine the second application is included in the group of alternative applications in response to determining the quantity of keywords used to describe the first application that are similar to keywords used to describe the third application is greater than a threshold quantity of keywords.